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About the Rock Star AwardOur Rock Star award honors ECG employees who demonstrate a sustained high level of performance and inspire others. Our latest recipient: Thomas “Bama” McNair, who’s in charge of grounds at the Milton, FL location. As his nickname suggests, he hails from “Sweet Home” Alabama, and is a huuuuge fan of the Crimson Tide football team that’s Cotton Bowl-bound.If there’s one trait that all our Rock Star winners share, it’s a “whatever it takes” mindset. Flexibility is essential

It’s practically blasphemy to rank any ornamental grass higher than world-famous Calamagrostis xa. ‘Karl Foerster’. It was the first grass ever named Perennial Plant of the Year, and rightly so. With sturdy vertical foliage and feathery plumes, it’s a handsome workhorse that makes a designer look like a genius. Not surprisingly, it’s among our top sellers. You’ll never hear us dis it.But we WILL say there are other options in the very same species that bring that same legendary reliability – all

Remember how huge it looked as it slowly sank, closer and closer to the water?Didn’t it seem twice as big as when it was high overhead?That’s Ocean Sunset™ for you. This series was bred for brilliant blooms that open wide, significantly larger than any other on the market. We’ve grown them all, and they’re all good, but oh, these flowers! They’re not just bigger, the colors are hot hot hot!All three varieties are a ground-hugging 4 – 6” tall and hardy in Zones 5 – 9. And like all Delosperm

Oh, yeah... Everywhere!We grow so much Pennisetum xadvena 'Rubrum' – bench after bench, whole greenhouses full of it – that we sometimes wonder where it all goes.And then we take a drive, anywhere in North America, and there it is!‘Rubrum’ barely needs an introduction. It’s that gorgeous annual grass you see wherever you go. There it is -- waving its burgundy blades and matching foxtail flowers, it’s the “thriller” in those big containers on Main Street. It’s the star of the show in landscapes p

For centuries, if not millennia, Andropogon gerardii, dominated America’s tallgrass prairies. It’s largely been replaced there by other grasses like Zeamays and Triticumaestivum, a.k.a. corn and wheat.But “big bluestem” is adaptable. It found new homes. Tough and self-reliant, Andropogon became a go-to plant for reclaiming damaged soils. And thanks to modern breeding, it’s increasingly welcome as an ornamental, especially in gardens dedicated to indigenous plants. Here are some of our faves.&nb